Pokemon:  Return of the Pokemon Master Part 1
by tmgod
Summary: A story of how Ash must learn that in order to become a pokemon master, he needs to move on from his past and become a stronger individual. It has some pretty dark scenes, so yea, just warning you.  There is Pokeshipping btw.  So shippers beware!  Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

*Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! Well I do, but only in my wildest dreams :D. Enjoy!

_ Life: Perhaps the most incredible mystery in life is life itself. Humans and Pokemon alike have searched and wandered since the beginning of time and space, trying to solve this great riddle. Whether the meaning of life will ever be solved, we may never know. But we do know, that life is wonderful and is an never-ending cycle of stories, mysteries, facts, love, lives, and so much more. _

_ But this story of life takes us to a man named Ash Ketchum, whose ultimate goal in life is to become a Pokemon Master. Though Ash has not figured out to great riddle of life, he does know that one should live life to the fullest and be the best you can be. And what better way for young Ash Ketchum to live life to the fullest, than to follow his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. Will he one day reach his dream? That's a question that cannot be answered on short time. The only way young Ash would find out, is to live and let life do the rest. _

"Gengar, use shadowball!" yelled out a silhouette of a short male on the television. The ghost Pokemon blending a mixture of shadows and formed them into a a powerful round force in between its hands. The ghost Pokemon unleashed this force at small pink Pokemon with a giant horn.

"Nidorino, dodge it!" yelled out another silhouette, this time, of a very large man. The Nidorino obeyed its trainer, jumped horizontally, away from the shadowball. "Nidorino, use your horn attack!" The Nidorino ducked its head and charged the ghost Pokemon.

"Gengar, dodge it and use hypnosis!" ordered Gengar's trainer. Gengar obeyed jumping vertically in the air, away from the horn attack. Gengar had turned a full 180, now facing Nidrorino from behind. Gengar started swirling its hands in circles. The Nidorino turned a full 180 as well, facing Gengar. What it didn't know, was that Gengar had begun it's hypnosis spell. Nidorino concentrated on Gengar's hands, being controlled with each movement. Nidorino became drowsy, and lost to will to battle.

"Nidorino is unable to battle!" yelled a man with a yellow referee shirt. He raised a green flag with his right arm, signaling that Gengar had won this battle.

"What, Gengar won!" Shocked about what he just saw on his television set, Ash Ketchum jumped up from his bed and placed his face closer to the television, not wanting to miss a moment of this great match. Ash, in his Oddish pajamas, held his fists together like a professional boxer, with tension and stress rising in his body by the second.

"Ash Ketchum!" yelled a young woman in front of Ash's door. "It is 10:00, you need to get some rest!"

"Yeah yeah," Ash replied, "I'll come down for dinner in a second mom."

"Dinner? Ash, did you listen to what I just said? It's time for bed! You know what tomorrow is right?" Ash still had his face glued to the television.

"Ummmmm. Yeah. Yeah, yeah mom."

"Ash, turn the TV off now and listen to your mother!" exclaimed Ash's annoyed mother. Ash depressingly pressed the small round button that made the great match go away on the TV. "Ash honey, tomorrow is your last day of Pokemon Trainer school. Tomorrow is a very important day honey."

"I know, I know," replied the tired student. "I just can't wait to graduate from Trainer school and finally get my license to become a Pokemon Trainer!"

Ash shut his eyes, concealing himself from the world. He could just imagine it now. Him, standing next to his all powerful Pokemon, standing tall at the Indigo Plateau. "Ash Ketchum," yelled a voice from the heavens, "You are indeed the greatest Pokemon trainer in history". Ash could hear the crowd cheering, fireworks exploding in the blue sky, confetti falling the heavens, cute girls screaming his name. He was a Pokemon Master. He was living his dream!

"Ash! Ash!" yelled a deep dark voice.

Ash awoke from his little daydream to see his room on fire! Flames surrounding his room, heat covering his face.

"Ash! Over hear!" Ash rushed over to his mom as she laid helplessly on the burning floor. "Ash!" yelled his mother again, in a dark, unrecognizable voice.

"Mom? Mom, what's going on? Where did this fire come from? Ahhh!" Ash screamed as the ceiling was falling apart, piece by piece. "What's going on?" Ash covered his ears and closed his eyes, trying to hide himself from the horror taking place in his room. Ash could feel the heat, as well as unexplained voices in his head!

"Ash! Ash what are you doing! We need your help!" yelled a girl.

"Misty?" replied Ash.

"Ash, don't just stand there! Ahhhhhh!" yelled the voice of a man.

"Brock, I don't know what to do!" yelled Ash, covering his ears and keeping his eyes shut.

"Pika pi!" exclaimed a high pitched creature noise.

"Pikachu? Oh no, Pikachu! Pikachu, help me!" yelled Ash, screaming.

"Why Ash?" exclaimed his mother. Ash opened his eyes. He could see his mother standing in the flames, unaffected by hell's fury. "Why Ash? How could you be so selfish?"

"I'm sorry!" replied Ash. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Ash opened his eyes, releasing himself from devilish world he was trapped in. Mounds of breath escaping his mouth at once, leaving him paralyzed for a brief moment. Ash stared into the sky, his eyes glued to the vanishing stars.

"Did you have...dream?" asked a poor looking man. Ash turned his attention to this poor individual, recognizing that this individual wasn't burned in flames like everyone else. Ash released a huge sigh of relief, knowing that everything was okay.

"More like a nightmare," replied an exhausted Ash.

"A nightmare about what?" asked the poor man. Ash, hearing what he said, took a brief moment to survey the scenery. All he could see was sand, miles and miles of sand. There was no buildings, no trees, no forest, no people or Pokemon. Not a sign of civilization or even life. Just Ash, the sand, and this old bum sitting next to him. The sun was rising, turning the once dark blue night yellow over the horizon. The cool wind was blowing from the east, removing sand from his hair and face. Ash rubbed his eyes, removing whatever sand was left.

Ash sighed, "A nightmare, about my past."

"Is that why you're here?" asked the poor man. Ash looked at the old man. He had never seen this man in his life. Wearing an old rugged beanie, this man sat Indian style, with his feet underneath his thighs. He was wearing a long vest, but no shirt underneath, which revealed his scrawny physique. He wore large gray sweats, and his sandals were so worn out that it seemed that it would only be a matter of time before they would become of no use. He seemed wide awake, which made Ash wonder how long was he out.

"What do you mean?" Ash replied, turning all of his attention towards this old man. Ash did not look any better than the old man. Ash had a torn black shirt, ripped jeans, and there was sand in his hair. He had slept on his bright blue jacket all night, his only reliable source of warmth.

"Why do you run away from your past?" asked the old man.

Ash stood up with frustration. "Why do you mean run away from my past? I'm not running away from anything?"

"Then why are you here, young one?" the old man replied softly.

"Because, I...hey, I don't know you," replied an annoyed Ash. "I don't have to tell you. How about you mind your own business you old goof." Ash picked up his jacket, shook off the sand as he put it around his shoulders, and headed off.

"Yes, the past can hurt," replied the old man. Ash stopped in his tracks.

"Yes, it can," he replied softly, agreeing with the old man.

"What is it that you seek?" the old man asked, still sitting Indian style, pretending that Ash was still in front of him.

Ash sighed, "My dream is to become a Pokemon Master. But I'm afraid that becoming a Pokemon Master is not going to happen. Not by a long shot." Ash faced his heavy head towards the sand, accepting the truth.

"Pokemon Master?" asked the old man. Ash turned towards the old man. He nodded softly, answering the old man's question. "I've have seen Pokemon trainers come, and I have seen Pokemon trainers go."

Ash looked around the scenery once again, checking if the never-ending ocean of sand was still there and that there was no sign of life anywhere. "Uh, you do?" asked the confused Pokemon trainer.

"All of these trainers I have met share the same dream you do," replied the old man, "but only a few make it." The old man let out a small giggle, "I know what it takes to become a pokemon master."

Hearing this, Ash ran through the sand and slid in front of the old man. Ash sat on his knees and clasped his palms together, crossing the fingers. "Please sir, tell me! Tell me how to become a pokemon master!"

The old man calmly, "Young one, I do not teach trainers how to become masters." Ash sighed with disappointment. "But, I know where you could indeed learn how to become better, powerful, but also..."

"Tell me please! Where could I find this place?" Ash begged.

"Easy young one. The journey to the Ice Temple is not a easy one."

"Ice Temple!" exclaimed Ash, jumping to his feet, his fist punched into the air. "Alright!". Ash started to march through the sand. "Ice Temple, here I...hey wait. Where is the Ice Temple anyway?" Ash turned around to look for the old man. He was gone. He seemed to have vanished out of thin air. "Hey, where did the old geezer go?" Ash shrugged it off, "Ah, whatever. I'll find it by myself. I didn't need that old fart anyway."

"Head east young one," exclaimed the old man.

"Ahhh!" Ash jumped, landing on his back. The old man appeared in front of him out of nowhere. "Hey, don't do that!"

"The Ice Temple is to the east young one," said the old man. "There, you will learn what it takes to truly become a Pokemon Master."

"Ice Temple, to the east, go it," said Ash. Ash brushed off his clothes as he pushed himself from the sand. Ash faced towards the old man, bowing his head before him. "Thank you, kind sir. I will find this Ice Temple and learn how to become a Pokemon Master." Ash quickly ran off towards the horizon, watching the sun rise from the east.

The old man watched the young teen disappear before his eyes, becoming one with the sun. "With just enough luck, that kid may be the one that will save us all."

A/N So what do you think? I know, kinda weird beginning. It will get better, I swear. Thanks for reading. Chapter 2 coming soon!


	2. Chapter 2

*Disclaimer: I still don't own pokemon

"Hey boss, look what we found!" exclaimed a large man. This man had his face concealed by the hood of his jacket, surrounding him with mystery. He carelessly tossed a young man onto the hard wooden floor.

"He was wandering up the mountain. We found passed out and exhausted," proclaimed an other man. This man was a little shorter than the large man. But his face was concealed as well, creating a sense of mystery around him. The young man laid there helpless. He was too exhausted to even flinch. His clothes were ripped and there were little chips of ice, even little grains of sand, stuck in his hair.

The two hooded men stood and waited for orders. They watched their master stand from his wooden throne and walk towards the young man, out of the shadows. This man, however, did not conceal his face. He wasn't a muscular man, not all to be honest. He was tall and lanky, and had tiny buzzed hair. His goatee stood out the most, which seemed to be so triangular in form that it even had a sharp point at the end of it. He wore a dark jacket with dark leather pants. Though he wore pretty comfortable clothes, it was a mystery how him, or even any other of these mysterious men, were able to survive this temperature.

This cabin was located atop the high mountains. Piles of snow everywhere. It seemed that these people see more snow in a year than actual sunlight. Giant glaciers surrounded this rather large cabin. There were little bits of snow surrounding the cabin floor. As the young boy laid there on the cold hard floor, he could feel the cold snow brush against his face.

The master slowly marched up to the young teen, examining his almost lifeless body. "What is your name?" The man did not respond, still frozen and exhausted to move. The master knew this young man was not dead, he could hear him breathe and he could see movement from ice covered lips. After not having the young man respond, the master forcefully stomped on the boy's head. "I said what is your name!" The young man covered his head, elbows parallel to his eyes. The pain was rushing through his numb body. "Do you or don't you have a name?" yelled the master once again.

The young man, his eyes glued to the floor, started to move his lips. "My...my name," he responded softly, making a remarkable effort just to speak, "my name is...my name is Ash...Ash Ketchum..."

The master stomped on his head, "Look at me when you speak!" Though numb and weak, Ash was wide awoke from these cheap attacks. His head pushed through gravity's force as he raised his head, looking at this crazed individual.

"My name is Ash Ketchum, of Pallet Town," he responded. The master listened and examined Ash's face.

"...What is it that you seek, Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town?" Ash slowly stood up, removing his arms from his face and placing them around his body, realizing how cold it really was.

"I'm looking for the Ice Temple," answered Ash, "I'm looking for the Ice Temple, so I could learn how to become a Pokemon Master." Ash received little bits of laughter from his response. He looked around, he could barely some of those hooded men surrounding the edges of the cabin. They formed a giant circle, with Ash and the master in the center.

"Well, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," replied the master, "you have indeed found the Ice Temple." Ash, at the same time, looked relieved and dumbfounded.

_"What kind of temple is this?"_ he thought to himself. "_It's just an old wooden cabin."_

"But I'm afraid, we do not teach Pokemon Masters here," replied the master, interrupting Ash's thoughts.

Ash, disappointed, responded, "But, the old man! He said I should come to the Ice Temple to learn how to become a Pokemon Master!" This generated some more giggles from the circle of shadows. The master glared at these figures, giving the sign that laughter is not appropriate at this time.

"I'm afraid little boy, that you've come to the wrong place. And besides, you can't teach someone how to become a Pokemon Master. It is something a Pokemon Master has to learn on it's own."

Ash fell on his knees, his eyes once again were glued towards the cold hard floor. "I traveled all this way, put my body through intense heat and cold, and I get nothing in return? Please, there must be something you could do."

The master stared down at the pathetic young teenager. "Go home."

"But please!" yelled Ash. He jumped in front of the master's feet and grabbed his leather pants. "You have to do something. But begging you."

The master looked down at the pathetic Pokemon trainer once again. "...Perhaps, there is something I could teach you. But you're not capable of this-"

"I don't care! Teach me! I have nothing to lose!" Ash desperately yelled at dominant master, pulling on his leather pants after each statement.

The master, still staring at the determined Pokemon trainer from Pallet Town, sighed out of pity. "Get up!" he said forcefully. Ash got up as fast as his numb body would let him. "Are you ready to begin?" the master asked calmly.

"Right now? I..I could barely stand-"

The master raised his elbow with incredible velocity and smacked Ash in the chest. "Death does not wait for no one, why should I?" Ash fell back on his knees. "Get up!" yelled the master. He karate chopped Ash's spine, making Ash fall to just one knee. The master raised his foot and swung it towards the weak trainer, but it was blocked! Ash remarkably caught the attack. Ash looked up at the master and swung his foot away, showing signs of life in his weak body. The master aimed another kick at Ash, but Ash caught it again. Ash held on to his foot as he raised up from the ground. But the master straightened out his knee, pushing Ash again the wall. The impact caused Ash to fall right on his face, rendering him useless. The master had won this fight.

The master, surprising even himself that he had just broken a sweat, knelled in front of Ash's head. "You have potential, Ash Ketchum. You do indeed have the what it takes to become a powerful Pokemon trainer. But tell us, Mr. Ketchum, about your past. And I mean, everything."

A/R Okay, end of another chapter. This is kinda short, I know, but I hope it made the story that much more intriguing. Haha, next chapter coming soon!


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